If You Blink, You Might Miss It
by bearhuggemm
Summary: When the world is moving and all he can see is her. The time they spend together is becoming more important as they know they will eventually go their separate ways. When the rain falls, they know if they blink, what they have will all be gone forever.J


This was one of those moments that you look back on and smile. It was the kind of moment that replays in slow motion because you want to remember every detail of it. At least, it was that way for him.

The afternoon had started out like a normal one between them. As the weeks dragged on, their time together was less frequent than before, and all the more important. Ever since Edward has returned and confessed, once again, his undying love for Bella, things had been a little tense. Now, more than ever, he wished that Edward hadn't proposed and purposefully attempted to keep Bella from him. These days were more important to him than anyone knew. Even his own pack could not grasp the sheer bliss he felt when her truck pulled up into the drive. He wished, every time when she pulled back out of the driveway that he could reel her back in. But he couldn't. She was a free spirit, who had followed her heart back to the Cullen's home, where her lover was waiting for her.

Why couldn't she see that he was just as capable of being that for her? It wasn't like he had never said it to her or showed her the compassion she needed.

He was there for her whenever her life got hard. He braced himself for every time that she would run into his arms crying over him, again and again.

He had dreamt about what the future between them could hold, and he saw nothing but good things, real things, possible things that could only come from two humans. But this wasn't the path that she wanted to take.

As they stood on the beach, mere inches from each other, he stared down at her face. She was looking straight up at the sky. He took it upon himself to stare at the whole scene in front of him, capturing the moment.

The rain was falling, slowly in large droplets into the sand. He could hear the tapping as the water meet the rocks. It made a softer, smoother sound as it hit the driftwood around them. Bella was wearing her normal attire. Dressed clad in dark jeans, a long-sleeved Henley and zip up fleece, she watched as the clouds rolled overhead. She couldn't feel the rain falling down just yet, but she could sense it coming. When it started to fall harder, droplets began to touch her face, sliding down her porcelain skin and dropping off of her chin. She bit her lip, capturing one of the droplets in her mouth and tasting it. A small smile lit up her face as she let more rain fall down on her. One fell through the thick black eyelashes and down to her cheekbone. It glistened against her smooth, pale skin and illuminated the brown in her eyes.

For some reason, this moment held more magic than most. It was the simplicity and beauty of it that captured him. It was the essence of the moment and knowing that this is what the future could hold, that kept him transfixed. Every day could be as special as this one. Each moment he spent with her could hold as much beauty as she reflected in her eyes. He wanted this warm and comforting feeling in him, to stay forever.

He didn't move for a minute, just watching Bella pelted with raindrops. He could see her taking in the same scene as he did. He watched her eyes flit around the beach, looking at everything there was to see. All _he_ saw was her.

She waiting until the rain pour had become severe enough to make an impact on her wardrobe. It began to cause wet blotched on her sleeves and then soak through. She could feel the water collecting atop her scalp and it made a shiver run down her spine.

When she looked to Jacob, she could see that he was unaffected by the rain. It had done little to soak him, as his body heat worked to keep him dry. She almost wished that it could be that simple for her. He rarely wore clothes, other than the most necessary pieces, and he could stay warm when the wind whipped through the trees.

She could see him processing. A thousand things were running through his mind, yet nothing so important to move him out of his stupor. He looked peaceful and accomplished, like he could die right now and have been a happy man. Yet he was only a boy. His life had taken such a sharp turn from what it used to be. He grew up in a week's time, having to take on so much more responsibility, for himself, his pack, and his community. Having this large of a secret just put more weight down on his shoulders.

He was snapped out of his reverie when Bella let out a small whine.

"Jake I'm getting soaked!"

He looked at her and smiled.

"Let's get you out of here."

They ran from the sand until there was a thick ground of dirt and fallen branches. The leaves and moss around them was dripping with the newly fallen rainwater. It slid down the trunks and collected in puddles by their feet.

"Watch out for puddles. They're hard to spot." Jake called behind him as Bella struggled to keep up with his pace. But it was already to late. She had stopped running and was standing looking frozen in place. Her right leg was suspended off the ground and her knee was bent. She turned her foot up and inspected the bottom of her shoe.

"My shoes are soaked all the way through!" She shivered.

"I told you not to step in the puddles." He laughed. He stepped towards her to see how much damage the puddle had done. It had, in fact, soaked her shoes and around twelve inches of her pant leg. When he got close enough to her, she pulled her hand from her jacket pocket and smacked him in the shoulder.

"This is not funny! I am freezing to death over here."

He grinned and pulled her into his embrace. His body was radiating a temperature of 108.9 degrees, which was more than enough to heat her up. She curled into his arms and soaked up the heat for a few minutes. He was content with letting her stand there as long as she wanted, but he could feel how cold her skin was. He needed to get her back to the house before she really did freeze.

When they broke apart, he grabbed her hand and pulled her the rest of the way to the house. They were moving so fast that her feet barely touched the ground as they passed the trees. They were back on the porch of the little red shack, in no time.

They made their way inside and shook off their shoes and her jacket. Jake ran to the back of the house to fetch towels from the closet. He handed two to Bella and grabbed one for himself.

"You can take a shower and warm yourself up. I am going to go and change." He started towards his room when he felt a small hand grab his arm.

"Jake, I don't have a spare change of clothes."

"Right…um, hold on." He remembered and continued to his room. It was a mess. His clothes were splattered across the floor as if someone had set off a bomb in there. He located the clean laundry basket and pulled out a t-shirt and the smallest sweats he could find. He knew they would be much too big for her, but it was the best he could do on such short notice.

When he got back out to the living room, Bella was in the same place he had left her. She was shaking now from the cold. He handed her the clothes and she proceeded to the bathroom. She was going to pretend that it wasn't awkward to be showering in her best friends home, while he stood practically half naked outside the door. She had a devoted boyfriend and a future with him. If she could bypass the fact that Jacob has obvious feelings for her, then she could easily continue on with the afternoon like they had planned. Sadly, she could never forget this.

Her feelings towards him had waned in his favor and it bugged her to no end. How was she supposed to move on to Edward and continue her life with him, when she was still so attached to the life she had here? She was content to spend her days here, lounging in the presence of her best friend, on the beaches of La Push. At the end of the day, she would go home to Charlie, and later that night Edward would climb into her window and stay with her until morning. It was a routine; one that was starting to get harder for everyone. The more time she spent with Jacob, the more she was hurting Edward and at the same time feeling better. When she was away from Jacob, her life moved on track, but she realized how much she missed him.

She thought of this over and over as she let the steaming hot water pour down her back, washing away the troubles temporarily. While she was here, in this place, she could be at peace. Once she stepped out that door, it would all come falling back into place.

Jacob paced the floor. He needed to stop this. He was just digging himself into a deeper hole. He was sinking in sand. He was slowly killing himself with every moment he spent with her. Why must he insist on carrying on this torture? Because he is and forever will be, hopelessly in love with Bella Swan. Nothing he could do and nothing anyone said to him would change his mind. He was on a one-way road, with on chance to turn around. He knew that the end of the road led to a sharp cliff with jagged rocks at the bottom. There was no way he could get out of this friendship alive. She was going to go live a happily ever after with her

Prince charming Edward Cullen and leave him forever. He was doomed to watch her move on from him, while he sat here wondering why he couldn't win her over.

He could hear the shower running and the water splashing against the tiles. He imagined Bella using up all the hot water like he knew she did. He could smell the scent of the forest wash off of her body and be replaced with her clean scent and that of his soap. He couldn't think any farther than that without condemning himself for dirty thoughts about his best friend. He tried his hardest to keep those thoughts in the back of his mind, but it was hard. Everything about her drove him wild. There was only so much he could contain.

He changed out of his damp clothes and threw them on the floor. They were still wet but his body was practically dry already. He threw on a new pair of sweatpants and headed for the laundry room. He heard the water turn off and the shower curtain pull back. He held his breath as two small feet placed themselves on the tile floor.

Bella was still cold. After shedding her saturated clothes and showering with the water on the hottest setting, she still managed to catch the drift going through the house. She wrapped the towel around herself twice in attempt to keep warm. She looped her hair up in a bun after shaking the water loose with the extra towel. She attempted to make Jake's clothes fit around her, but she couldn't. The sweatpants wouldn't stay on even if she rolled them down several times. She ditched them, opting for just the t-shirt, which was long enough to cover up everything. The bottom hem reached her mid thigh and down to the crook of her arm. She slipped on the wet underwear and bra then left the bathroom.

He could hear her approaching as she tip toed her way to the back of the house. He was standing over the dryer with the wet clothes in his hands. Bella was carrying hers and then she plopped them down on top of the dryer. He turned to face her and nearly lost his breath. She looked beautiful with her hair messily tied on top of her head. It was hard for him not to stare at the only item of clothing she was wearing, that belonged to him. It was stunning on her.

She smiled and then laughed.

"I blame you for getting caught in the storm."

"What?" He asked curiously.

"Aren't werewolves supposed to have super heightened senses? Can't you tell when a storm is coming?" She raised her eyebrows while staring at him accusingly.

"Well, yeah, but I was distracted."

"I could tell. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing, really. Just zoning out."

"Mhmm." She didn't believe that. She knew him better than he claimed she did. When he was focusing on something important, his forehead always scrunched and he would get that spark in his eyes. She had seen that in the rain. "You're lying." She stated bluntly.

He raised his eyebrows at her. Of coarse he was lying. While in the rain, he was so consumed with thoughts of her, that he couldn't bother to notice how bad the rain was getting. She could distract him so easily, with just the brush of her hair or her scent in the wind.

He didn't answer her and instead just threw her clothes in the dryer and clicked the door shut. She moved herself to be staring straight at him and then popped up on top of the washing machine and sat there. He took a step back to analyze her. He was sure that she didn't notice how the shirt had slipped higher up her leg. Still, she sat there smiling at him.

"So…what do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon? I guess outdoor activities are out." She giggled.

He wanted to spend all day with her- no, his whole life with her, but he knew she would rather be with Edward.

"Don't you have to be getting home? Won't your bloodsucker be missing you?" He added with a little bit of bite. She gave him a look of disapproval as if she was scolding him for the inappropriate comment. Then she thought better of saying anything and smiled.

"Nope. He's gone hunting for the afternoon with the rest of the family and I have the rest of the afternoon free."

"Wow he's actually letting you hang out with me now?"

"Shut up Jake. I can do whatever I want. He doesn't control me."

"Really? It seems like whenever he and I are on bad terms, he has no problem with keeping you from coming down here."

"That isn't true! He is only trying to protect me."

"Protect you from what? Me?" He said moving closer. She was getting aggravated with his attitude towards Edward. All the hostility was driving her up the wall. It was obvious that Edward and Jacob would never like each other, but for her sake, she hoped that they could be civil. Every time she turned around, one of them would be trying to tell her not to see the other one. She was in a game of tug-o-war with vampires on one side and werewolves on the other, pulling her arms across the borderline.

She could tell that he was tense. It was true that Edward thought he was being a good guy by protecting her. He felt that werewolves were dangerous and fitful. Jacob had never harmed her, but she had not gotten along with some of the others so well.

"Yes, sometimes." She spoke calmly trying to get them both to calm down. That wasn't the right answer because Jake started yelling.

"You think I would ever hurt you? Bella, you know me better than that. Half of the time I am the one saving you from the dangers that _his kind_ bring here. If you do remember correctly, he was the one who hurt you, after he left." It was a low blow and he knew it, but something had to be said.

"Will you stop using that as an excuse to try and win me in your favor?! I hate that every time you want to bash Edward, you bring that up. He made a mistake and he apologized for it so many times since then!"

"Alright, fine. I wont bring that up as long as you admit that he is in control of what you do."

"No. He isn't. I am independent and if I want to come down here and hang out with you, I will. He can't stop me or tell me what to do."

"So if he was home right now, would he be fine with you being here right now?"

"Yes."

"You're a bad liar, Bella."

"Ok, maybe he would be a little hesitant to let me come here…"

"See! You said he would be hesitant to _let_ you come here. He controls what you do. Don't you see that? Why would you want to be with someone who limits your free will?"

"Urgggh." She grunted. She crossed her arms across her chest and turned her head to the side so that she would no longer have to look at him.

Neither one of them noticed how impossibly close they were moving towards each other since their argument had begun.

"You're ridiculous Jake. I can't believe we are talking about this. My relationship with Edward is _my_ business."

"You're right it is." He said noting the proximity of them and stepping back to give her some space. He didn't want to think about how the two of them worked or why they were together. To her, he was the center of all life. Jacob didn't understand it nor did he want to accept it. If Bella was genuinely happy, he could ease up, but he knew she wasn't.

They didn't speak for five minutes. Jacob was leaning against the wall, with his arms crossed against his chest. Bella was seated, with her feet dangling, on the washing machine, feeling it rumble beneath her.

"I'm sorry Bells, that we always fight like this when you come over. I just wish that I got to see you more. It is hard enough as it is, where I only see you once a week, but now Edward is telling you when you can and cant come over."

She opened her mouth to protest and then snapped it shut again. She couldn't really argue with his statement. Edward had started to be more overbearing ever since she and Jake had reconnected. She knew it hurt him to see her run off to spend time with another guy, but he should understand that she and Jake were best friends. Before he had come back, she and Jake had spent every minute together. He was her failsafe friend who she needed more than anyone else, as much as she would like to say she needed Edward the most. She needed them both but she couldn't make them see that.

"I'm sorry Jake. Things have been really tense lately. I wish I could spend more time with you too, I just need to keep my relationship with Edward strong."

"Wait, you mean you like spending time here?" He smiled and uncrossed his arms, moving towards her.

"Of coarse I do, Jake. I love spending time with you. We always have so much fun…well when we are not fighting, at least." They laughed together and she looked down. "To be honest I think he is a little jealous of the time I already spend with you…"

Jacob took another step towards her. "Really? Why?"

"Well, because we got so close when he was…away." He nodded and moved closer. "And because I always come back smiling." He flashed her one of his best smiles and took another step. "Because you know me better than anyone…" She caught her breath "And I know he thinks that I am going to fall for you…"

Jake was drifting with every word she spoke. Her breathing had become shallower as the heat from his body encroached on her. He couldn't help but move forward with the anticipation that she would feel the same way he did right now. He wanted it so badly, he could taste it. Or maybe it was just her scent near him that he could taste - that sweet floral mixed with his own scent from the soap and shirt.

"But that would be ridiculous…I mean we are friends…and he knows that I would never do that…"  
She was barely whispering now, for he was mere inches from her face. She knew he could easily hear what she was saying, but she could barely hear herself. Her words were becoming shakier as he stood there before her, clad in only a pair of sweats. When she thought of her own self, she knew that the short shirt she was wearing didn't help the situation much. The sexual tension in the room was building. It was thick and heavy, weighing down on each of them.

"Right." He nodded, shaking his head gently. His eyes traveled across her face and to her lips. They were slightly parted like she was waiting for something.

"Yeah." She nodded as well and swallowed loudly.

His arms came down from his sides to rest next to her body. One on either side, blocking her in. There were things that he wanted to do. He wanted to lean in and kiss her. He wanted to wrap his fingers in her hair and pull her close to him. He wanted to whisper something sweet into her ear. _She_ was tempted, much to her dismay. She felt almost compelled to breathe him in – to inhale his scent and revel in it. When she looked at his shoulders, she wanted to wrap her arms around them and pull him closer. She wanted to know what his lips were capable of. She wanted to feel his body curl around her in an embrace.

She dared to look into his eyes again and there she saw all the emotions he was hiding away. They were on display for the world to see, yet he only had eyes for her. It scared her how much she wanted him to act on those emotions.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

The buzzer for the dyer went off and nearly sent Bella flying. The sound had brought both of them out of their calm reveries. Each one backing up until they were no longer within touching distance.

It was a wake up call. It was just what they needed. All the things that Jacob had just wanted were not his to have. They were off limits to him. The intimate and beautiful things he wanted to do with Bella were reserved only for Edward Cullen.

Bella's heart was beating at an abnormally fast speed. Her chest was rising and falling with the realization at what had almost happened. If she had continued on with her train of thought and Jacob stayed where he was, they would have been kissing within moments.

Jacob did not know anything of what Bella was feeling. He assumed the dryer had shocked her enough to plaster this bizarre look on her face, but it was much more than that.

These moments for Jacob were becoming more frequent. They were chances he had to really show her how he felt and each time something got in the way. This time it had been the dryer. Before, it had been the rain. Usually he was pulled back by his conscience telling him that Bella belonged to someone else.

He had been so close this time.

They had been so close this time.

If only he hadn't blinked.

* * *

A/N: Let me know if you want this to become a story or just stay a one-shot...


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